Big Second Half Lifts Penn State-Behrend Over Wooster

WOOSTER, Ohio – Behind 23 total steals and a 24-for-28 showing at the free throw line, the Lions of Penn State-Behrend came away with an 88-71 victory over The College of Wooster women's basketball on Tuesday afternoon at Timken Gymnasium.

For Wooster (2-2), junior Anna Gibbs was four rebounds away from recording her first career triple-double, logging 11 points, 12 assists and six boards. First-year Maria Janasko led all Fightings Scots with 16 points on 13 shots while first-year Sarah Rapacz pulled down a co-game-high nine rebounds, five of them offensive.

Penn State-Behrend's Erika Woll led all scorers with a career-high 27 points, followed by 23 from Emily Kinecki, also a career-best.

Things appeared in Wooster's favor early on as the Scots jumped out to a quick 9-0 advantage, with Gibbs and senior Aki Shurelds totaling a combined five steals in the opening 2:04.

The Lions bounced back with a 9-0 run of their own as both teams went shot-for-shot down the stretch to end the opening period at 24-24.

In the second, Wooster, whose 13 bench points proved vital, was helped significantly by three-point contributions from junior Kyle Croxton, sophomore Kylie Orr, and first-year Sarah Marion.

Down 39-40 with just over two minutes remaining in the half, sophomore Courtney Lockhart pulled down two consecutive offensive rebounds before converting on her own put-back to give the Scots a one-point edge. After a steal from Orr a few possessions later, the sophomore guard out of Newport, Ky. found Croxton open for three from the corner, as she drained the opportunity to put the Scots up four heading into the break.

With Wooster up 44-40, the Lions (1-2) rallied off big third- and fourth-quarter scoring marks to pull away from the Scots.

Penn State-Behrend outscored Wooster 21-12 in the third period and 27-15 in the fourth, the latter of which was fueled by an 18-for-20 showcase from the free throw line.

After going 6-for-14 from deep in the first half, Behrend limited Wooster to 2-of-12 in the second. Comparatively, the Scots shot 33 percent in the half while the Lions connected on 44 percent of their 32 second-half shots.

Up next, Wooster hosts Oberlin College on Wednesday, Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m. to open North Coast Athletic Conference play.